Improvement in knitting-machine



4 Sheets--Sheet 1.

'S. H. ROPBR. KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 94,135. Patented Aug. 24"; 1 869.

-Wimsmuuum I 4 sheets-sheet 2.

s. H. ROPER. KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 24, 1869.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 V KNITTING MACHINE. N0. 135.- 1 Patented Aug. 24, 1869-.

'nmo 'n ..Za7i w a 600210101002; i a

KNITTING MACHINE:

No. 94,135. PaQte'nt'edAug. 2.4, 1869,

dished $121M gaunt emu,"

" sYLvEs'rER H. ROPER, OF BOSTQN, MASSACHUSETTS.-

wLctters Patent No. 94,135, dated-August 24-, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTlING-MACHINE.

The Schedule referreduto'in these-Letters Patent and making part'bf the same.

To all whom it may concern-.-

' Bedt known that I, SYLVESTER H. ROPER, of Boston, in the county of Sufi'olk, and State of Massaclmsetts,have invented certain Improvements in Knit,-

t-ing -'Machines; and I do hereby declare that the,

following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification,

-is a-descriptiolrof my invention sufiicient to enable those skilled in. the art topractise it.

My invention 'relates to animproved combination of separately moving latch-needles with separatelyfnoving siukers co-operating therewith to press down and drawofi-fi'om thebobbin a sufiiciency of yarn for each stitch, and to meansfor-grzulnating the distance-to which the sinkers may descend; to a novel aufom'atic widening-mechanism; to a provision: by

which the loop nponrthelnecdle shallot itselii at a proper period, hold back the Iatcli and prevent its flygnideand s'ifiker-cam relatively to each other, that the former may alwaysbe kept immediately in advance of that'si'uker which is next to depress the thread, .in' each reciprocating mbvement of those parts; to an improved -tension-device and improved means for adjustment of the same, and to other details hereinafter more particularlyset forth. i I

-.My machine is intended mainly-for knitting fine work and for widening the same at either or both sel-= bed-plate secured thereon, a grooved space, 0, between them receiving and permitting the reciprocation ofthe.

latch-needles, and longitudinal ways in B permitting the reciprocation of the traversing-plate D, which receives its motion directly from the-connecting rod E,

which is firmly secured to-the endless belt orchain F,-

which passes over the pulleys GGQbotli of which are supported (in the hanger H 'projecting from the side of A, and the former of. which is driven bythe hand-" crank I, or in any other suitable manner. 3 r

The belt is prefer blygiven such a'degree of tightness as will be s'uflicient to drive the machine when no special obstruction or derangement occurs, but will a1 lowitju such aux-event to-slip upon without being driven by the driving-pulley.

To the under side of plate 1) is adjust-ably secured,

ing forward before the bobbins received its yarn for. the 'next stitch; to the means'for shifting the threadby means of 7 screws K and washers, the cam-piece L, shown in-dotted lines infig. 2. v Y

This camI prefer to make in the general form shown, its thickness at 1, 2, and 3, beingabout equal to the full breadth of the 'cut in the needlewstock, and the curvature 4 being-designed to allow the needle a very brief rest, after it has completed its forwardmovement,

and then a gradual commencement of its-back motion at the period when the sinker is down toits lowest point of movement and with its fullest. pressure and commencing to rise, and hence the strain on the yarn is avoided which otherwise would occ ur,.'if before the.

rising of the sinker the needle were tp recede' and pull back its yarn. The rising of thesink'er'at once re-. lieves'the strain of the loop. This prowision'isnecessaryin knitting fine goods from inelastic single-spun yarn.

That portion of the cam shown. at 5 and 6 is de- 7 signed for another specialand i-mportanttpurpose.

in most, if not all, latch-needle machine's, latch:

openers are employed to insure that the latch shaliihe thrown .baekand the hook un'coveredat, the period yhen the yarn is to be delivered'to the hook.for.form-. ing the next succeeding-stitch.

If the latch-opener be not be no certainty that the latch would remain thrown.

- back, and whenever-a failure should 'occur'the result mnst'be a lost' stitch and-defectivegoods. 7

Now, the straight portions 5 and6 'so act relatively to the needle during its forward oradvat cimgfmovement as to arrest it mommtarilyand gii'e it a very slight period of rest just at that juncture'when the loop last formed thereon, after having forced hackthe latch, rests upon' and embraces it, confining it down upon the needle-shank, and thereby positively preventing the latch from flying forward from any cause and covering theunthreaded hook. v

A hole in plate D, beneath each of-the washers at K, and made somewhat larger than the screw which holds the washer, permits the slight adjustment of the cam-piece L to time this period or rest properly relatively to the movements of the other partsof-thev mechanism, and also a forward and backadjustment to render certain the drawing of the last-made loop entirely through the preceding one. p

The wavy portions'of the cam, as shown at M M,

are for the purpose of tightening orshaking down theloops of thestitches of the last course upon those of the course being formed.

N N are posts erected upon the plated).

. These posts are screw-threaded at their tops andsupport a plate, 0, which .is secured thereon by nuts 7 8, so that it may be raised or lowered,'when desired, to vary the point to which the sinkers may be caused to descend, said sinkers being'operated by the edge employed, there time -cam slide. I,

By these means the thread-carrier and sinker-cam of plate 0, and by a cam-projection on a'carriage, I, supported upon and arranged to slide on the plate 0,

as shown, the sinkers Q being arranged to slide in apa series 'of holes therein .to receive the pin 24, which,

propriate grooves in the vertical fixed ppright it.

The yarn-.deliverer S is adjustably secured to the downward projection 'l of the yoke U, the latter being secured to the.sliding plate or carriage V. .On the top surface of the cam-carriage is secured a toothed rack, 9, and on the plate V is a corresponding rack, 10.

Aflixed to plate O-is ape'culiar pinion, 11, located 1 j so that a portion of its teeth (beingithose of itsshorter radius)'shall mesh with the teeth of rack 9, and the other portion .(beingthose of the longer radius or far thest distant from the axis of the. pinion) shali'meslr with the teeth of rack 10.

-Upon the stationary frame or bed-plate B are erected fixed uprights or steps 12, against-which (during the reciproeations of plate D, and the parts which it car-.

ries) a projection or pin, 12, on the under side of tbread canier slide V, S iillik88, f0l the purpose of having the further traverse of the thread-carrierarrested while the plate!) continues its movement.

This continued movement of plate D, while the rack 10 remains stationary, carries with it the pinion 11, v

which is geared'with the rack '10 upon the thread carriage and causes the rotation of the pinion, which thus drives the other rack and conseqnen tly' the sinkerare always brought into proper relative position as re gards each other at the end ot'e'ach traverse, and the delivery-eye of the thread guide is, also brought into proper position relatively-to that sinker immediately adjacent to it, which will insure itssinking the thread just delivered to a needle,

-- j Instead of the pinion and racks 9 10,-other devices maybe used modifications, or as equivalents, as, i for instance, a lever with unequal arms, and a sliding hoxoperated by'either endof the lever,'th'e boxes;

being secured'to the carriages 'iu'lieu of the' racks.

My-tbread-tension deviceisTm-ade-as follows, being sustained upon 'a rod or post,- 13,,removably attached totbe' thread-carrying frame or slide. Tothe top of this post I pivot a vertically-swinging lever, 14, to the end of which-Ioonnect, at one of the openings. 15, provided therefor, a-spir'al spring, 16, whose lower extremity is secured to a sleeve or slide, 17, arranged to be moved 5 up or down on the post aiFrill, and to be adjusted and secured inoplace by the screw 18. Thei ther arm of lever 14 is provided withau eye'to receive tbethread, as shown. A long wire, 19, having an eye or loop at its farthest extremity, is permanently attached to this lever 14, and a thin, very flexible spring-20, is fast-v ened to the 'wire 19, as shown, audfhas' at its extremity alsoa loop or eye for the thread! A frictional r I t the shaft, but merely brings the segmental gearbaek i ready for its nextaotion.

is secured upon the wire 19 ata point between the.

the act of pressingdown the yarn, it is-necessary, with'v the very delicate yarn used in makingfine work, that j the resistance against the free delivery of the yarn should be as little as-possible, although at other times it needsto be sufiicient to insure the return of all the slack yarn through the thread-carrier;

By my improved apparatus, the normal positionof theyarinwhen a take-upand resistance against. too,

free a delivery are needed, is about as shown in fig. 3.

When, however, the pull upon tho'yarn takes place,

the eye on'spring 20 is drawn dowii,. so' that it lies in the same line. with the pad 21, and theey'eon -'the wire 19, orsufliciently so to relieve the thread from r I I 94,135

' The widening-apparatus is constructed as follows:-

To the plate 0 is secured a projection, 21, to which is pivoted, as shown at 22, at slotted piece, 23, having passing through another projection, 24, serves to hold the piece 23 in any desired position.

When the piece 23 is in the position shownin fig. 2, it performs no duty, because its slot or opening dpring the reciprocations of the plate does not actuate any of the widening-mechanism.

When, however, the piece 23 is tinned outward on the pivot 22andthen secured in that'positiou by phi;

24, so that the slot is not. parallel with theu'eciprooations, but inclined thereto and to -the plate,'then the movement of plate 0 inthe direction of the upright pin 25-.(that is, toward the left of the machine) causes T a, forward movement of the sliding rack 26, by reason 29,0n which is a loose gear, 30, having teethon only a portion of its edge, and having also an arm, 31, with an impelling pawl, 35, andspring thereon.

Secured on the'sl1aft,and'side by side with this. loose e gear, is a ratchet-wheel, 34, whose backwardmoveuient is prevented by a spring-click; f I

- Upon the shaft is placeda screw-threaded sleeve, 36, feathered with the shait, so that while it must revolve with it, yet it is free to slide longitudinally there on.. This sleeve is provided with radiat arms orwings 37 projecting therefrom, and whose edges are barely thick enough toinsuretheir acting against there-hr end of one ueedle-stockwithout risli or accidentally I touching an adiaceut one;

A stationary spring, 38, having asmall-projection, or section of a nut, 39,1;0 enter the grooveszoi"tlie. screw, effects the longitudinal movement of the sleeve during its revolution,

Theioperation of these parts is as followss -15 When it-is'desired w widenby bringing, into 6- tion' any ofthe needles which have been' pushed back beyond the' action of the needie operating cam, the wings havingbeen so placed-as .ingtheirhext movemeutl toipush forward the-needle next required .for use, andithe slotted piece adjusted to afri'nclination as before stated, the movements of the piece 23 push forward the slide-rack 2ii,- which, giving motion tojthe segmental gear; 30, "aotuates the ratchet wheel,-and

thereby rotates the shaft, andoonsequentlythe radial wings, until oneoi. them shall bear against'the-rear I of the next needle-stock, and force it forward into p'osition foraction} r i Therethrn-movement of the rack does not rotate The partial rotation of the-winged sleeveadvauees it on its shaft, so that at the-proper time it may be in position byfurther rotation to bring one of its wings upon the degree of inclination given to'the slotted piece, as the greater the inclinationthe furtheraround will the rack rotate theshait and sleeve.

This frequency will also be increased Generally, it-will. be desirahleto widen gradually by bringing a new needle into play at, say, every-fourth,"

sixth, or eighth course.

It will be observed that. iii-Ithq illustrations we have shown but few needles, and also that we have shown,

the widening-apparatus for widening on one side only f he ihhric.

23 causes the return movement of proportionately tothe numberof wingsfon the'sleeve.

In practice, we employ any appropriate number of needles, and duplicate the widening-apparatus so as to widen at both selvages.

To drive a knittingrniachine by a crank is very objectionable, as there is no possibility of attaining that uniform velocity required during. the action "of the needles and the formation of the stitches.

To avoid, therefore, this variable and varying velocity, 'which ranges from the zero or dead points to the other extreme, I employ two wheels, G and G, and an endless belt or chain stretching from one to the other, and then connect rigidly to such belt a metal piece or pin, 42, having a journal thereon which the connecting-rod centres, the rod also centring-on a pivot, where it is connected to the reciprocatingplate D. This mode of driving effectually ignoresthe dead points, so far as the knitting-operations are-concerned, as the needles and other operative parts of the knitting-mechanism are only actuated-while the pin 42 (and consequently the connecting-rod) ishnoving in horizontal lines, and while this pin is travelling around either of the pulleys, the needles, sinkeis, and yarnguide are not in the act of knitting.

l claim the combination of a system of separatelymoving latch-needles with a system of separatelynioving sinkers cooperating therewith, in the manner and for the purpose described.

Also the combination, with such systems of latchneedles and sinkers, of mechanism for adjustingsimultaneously the depth of descent of all the sinkers.

Also, an automatically-rotating and travelling wing or arm, operating to bring the needles into action for widening, substantially as set forth.

Also, the means, substantially as described, for arresting the forward movement of the needles, whilst the loop is on the latch, toinsure the keeping open of the hook to receive yarn for the next stitch, and then advancing them to the full extent of their forward movement. Also, the combination, with stationary stops on the frame, of the sliding carriage .of the thread-carrier, the sinker-cam carriage, and the double-acting pinion and racks, or their equivalents, the whole operating substantially as shown and set forth. 7

Also, the combination, with the main and auxiliary tension-springs llla'nd 20, of a friction-pad on the former, so arranged and located that a slight strain upon the yarn shall cause the eyes of the springs to coincide in line with the straightened thread and relieve the same from the pad.

- the lever 14 and its adjustable spring 16.

b. H. ROPER.

\Vitnesses: J OHN J. HALSTED,

J F. BEAM 

